Lake Como swamps rivals at HQ

Pat Hyland had a feeling Lake Como would prove tough to beat at Flemington on Saturday. It wasn’t a gut feeling that trainers sometimes get, rather it was the memory of a few mornings ago when the 75-year-old Hall Of Famer took the mare for a spin.

‘’I ride her in most of her work and although I thought she’d go well, I didn’t think she’d quite do it that easy,’’ Hyland said following Lake Como’s three-length win at $6.50.

Hyland explained that he still rides about four of his current team of 14 horses in their work each morning and Lake Como was one of them.

‘’She’s just a really nice mare,’’ he said.

Ridden by Stephen Baster, Lake Como was always in the leading bunch and when the pressure came in at about the 400 metre mark, she sped clear to beat Chat To Maggie ($41) with the favourite Catch A Fire ($4.80) in third place.

Hyland said he would pick a group race out for the daughter of Pins during the Adelaide carnival.